Fixtation Around the Moon
by Canopy4
Summary: {9/24/01-Koushirou's chapter up. And the story looks long but it reads very quickly, I promise!}Around, around we go, what we'll find out about the thoughts of others, nobody knows. A simple night filled with interaction can lead to some pretty entertai
1. Endless Dreamer

Sora's POV--*Endless Dreamer* 

Sora's POV--*Endless Dreamer* 

By: Canopy4

Author's Note: Okay, this a "matrix" type chapter fic. The plot is fairly simple(Sora likes Yamato but Yamato

is...oddly indifferent) but each chapter will swivel around and focus on one character's POV. Hopefully, this will show that people can look at the same situation and come out with two entirely different perspectives. The story starts out with Sora's

POV.

Tell me what you think!

"I can't believe you didn't do your homework again!" I bawl, leaning against the mahogany bookcase in Taichi'sroom.It's a Friday night and Koushirou and I are at the Yagami apartment, settling in for what seems to be an adventurous, exciting sleepover. 

It's a peaceful night, one of those with starts tossed into the sky and gentle night clouds rolling along.I've always likedpeering into the heavens when the sky is dark and the moon is the only source of light.Don't ask me why I do, but there's something that pulls me into those dark clouds.I guess I'm a child of the night. 

"Earth to Sora, please return to us," calls Taichi, waving his hand directly in front of my face. I, not beingone for close contact, flinch and push it away. 

"Stop it."This comment only makes Taichi grin and wave hishand harder.I should have been able to guess that my command would have no effect on him.After all, actingimmature is typical Taichi behavior. I'm used to it by now though. It's impossible to be Taichi's friend for five years and not grow accustomed to his jovial antics.Of course, it's equallyimprobable to be his friend for five years without knowing how to beat Taichi at his own tricks. 

Swiftly, I grab Taichi by his tan wrist rather than continually swatting away his hand.He looks at me, amused and playful. The ball's in my court. 

"Darling, if you don't stop, I shall have to kiss you," I say, pseudo English accent and all. Taichi's face muscles lose all control as they sort through a range of expressions.His 

mouth drops open, the hand which I am holding goeslimp and a cherry finish peeps through his smooth, glowing, tan skin. 

It's really Koushirou who gets me going.He's doubled over in laughter at the sight of Taichi's contorted face. Soon, streams of laughter begin to bubble through me.When Taichi realizes he is the joke, he enters a battle of controlling his facial expressions.

"Ha, ha, very funny Sora," he emphasizes each word with a playful punch on the arm.To retaliate, I grab himand pin his arms down. 

"Now Koushirou, hit him hard," I command. 

"No fair, two against one," yelps Taichi. 

Koushirou is only able to get in a few weak hits before thebedroom door creaks open. 

Hikari stands in the doorway. "What are you doing?" 

Koushirou responds,"Beating up Taichi; wanna help?" 

The frail child smiles softly. "No thanks. But hit him a few times for me." 

"Hikari!" wails her brother. She steps into theroom and leans against one of the royal blue walls. Sensing that my violent mood has passed, I release Taichi and sit down 

on the plush, navy carpet and lean against Koushirou as if he were a post.Taichi returns to his bed and lays in the sloth position. 

"Actually, I want to know if I can invite Takeru over for a sleepover. Asking for permission is the polite thing to do and since Mom and Dad are out, I decided that asking my mature brother the right thing to do," reasons Hikari. 

"No," says Taichi. I laugh.

"Why can't she can't have anybody over Taichi?" I challenge. 

"Because she's a girl and Takeru's a boy and... they...and...that's why." 

"But you and Sora have sleepovers together all the time," pouts Hikari. 

"Well, that's different. See Sora's not like you, she's morelike Koushirou and me.We can't tell she's a girl because she acts like one of the-", a foot, belonging to Koushirou, placed in front of Taichi's face acts as a silencer. 

Of course, it doesn't help very much.Finishing Taichi's train of thought isn't the hardest things in the world. 

"One of the boys?" I ask softly. 

"Well, yeah." Koushirou frowns and shakes his head. 

"Oops, I meant to say no. You're one of the cool kinds, not a guy," says Taichi. 

Now isn't that what every girl wants to hear? I want tothrow something at Taichi.But I can't. I mean, the jerk is sitting there, with those big warm eyes, trying to convince his sister that she doesn't really want to invite Takeru over.

Actually, I can't argue with Taichi because he's right. To him, I'm just one of the guys. That's why there's never going to be anything platonic between us. Sometimes I think helikes me, and there are times when I catch myself thinking romantic thought 

about the two of us. This doesn't happen often though because I try to save my precious, love thoughts for someone else. 

"C'mon Taichi, it's not like we're going to do anything,"protest Hikari. 

Taichi, entering protective brother mode, fires back, "I don't know that. Who know what you and little blonde boy have planned?" 

Well, if it's anything that I have planned with a certain blonde boy, then Taichi has every right to be suspicious of his sister. It's always the girls who have the thoughts 

too advanced for their bodies and ages; males simply take the blame.I have a small, minute, minuscule obsession with Takeru's older brother, 

Yamato.I am often accused by Mimi of having this crush rule my life. She claims that I often slip into another world inhabitedby Yamato and me. I deny it by saying I only think about him when I am hit by inspiration.I have the soul of a poet. Ican findinspiration in almost anything.

"Hikari, I just don't think it's a good idea," weakly saysTaichi.

Enough of this. I urge Hikari to stop stalling and to call the man of her dreams. 

"Yeah!" she cries and grabs the phone.After a minute's hesitation, she throws the phone to me. 

"You do it," Hikari giggles. 

I grab the phone in midair. Absently, I punch some 

numbers into the phone.

_Hey, this is Yamato and you've reachedThe Ishida residence._

_I know you're calling for me 'cause it's not like my dad gets any calls._

_Anyway, I'm doing something such as singing, combing my hair,_

or chatting up girls.Just leave--I hang up the phone quickly and compose myself. I 

must've been thinking about Yamato again. I knew Takeru wasn't going to be 

over there.

"What happened?" Is Takeru coming over?" demands 

Hikari. 

"I dialed the wrong number," I stammer. 

Hikari shrugs. "Call again. The number is 871-04-" 

"I know the number.I just got distracted," I interrupt.

"Did you really Sora? It's not like you to become distracted when dealing with your close friends Sora," drawls out Koushirou. 

For a second, anger and sarcasm glitter in his voice. I write it off as a failed Koushirou joke. 

"I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" I haul myself up and exit the bedroom to make the phone call again. Before I leave, I catch an unreadable glance that Koushirou throws me. Shrugging it off, I hold the phone to my ear and wait to speak. 

"Hello, Takaishi residence.Yamato speaking." 

"Ya-ya-yamato?" I am not expecting this.

"Hi Sora, what's up?" greets Yamato. 

I urge myself to say anything. " I love hearing your voice talking, especially when you answer the phone like that.Why did you answer the phone?" Oh yeah, that sounds good. Very smooth Sora. 

There's a pause. A long uncomfortable pause. 

Finally Yamato laughs his sad laugh."I'm just spendingtime with Takeru and enjoying the sentiment that comes with living as a real family. I'm trying to enjoy it whilebeing myself," comes the bitter, cryptic reply. 

What is he talking about? I don't get it. 

"Anyway, Sora?Why are you calling my brother?" asks Yamato with a tone that reveals his puzzlement. 

"Oh, Hikari wants to know if he wants to comeover,"I giggle. I can't help it; Yamato sounds so confused as to why I want to talk to Takeru. 

"Sorry, I don't think Takeru is interested in seeing Hikari today," he responds.Yamato's over emphasizing, loud voice is an indication that Takeru is around. 

Sure enough, I hear an excited, "Yes I do" through the phone. 

"Oh, I guess Takeru does want to come over after all.Hey Sora, who else is over there?" 

"Me obviously, darling Koushirou and aggressive Taichi." 

"Add Pensive Yamato to the mix.See you in a few.Bye Sora," the line goes dead. 

"Goodbye Yamato," I whisper. Setting the phone down on is cradle, a wind of thoughts hits me and I feel extremely inspired. 

*** 

"So Takeru is coming right?" demands Hikari. 

"Huh?" Time to stop zoning out."Yup, Takeru's coming over. So's Yamato," I say to nobody in particular. 

Koushirou fold his arms behind his head. 

"Surrounded by three gorgeous men.Can you handle it?" he jokes.

"Men? My beloved companion, I am surrounded by little boys." 

Taichi snorts loudly. I brace myself for the inevitable but the doorbell rings. 

An excited Hikari rushes to enter the door.The sound of shoes hitting the floor announces the arrival of Yamato and Takeru. 

"C'mon we have some important things we need to 

discuss," urges Hikari.The two children scramble through the 

living room and rush towards Hikari's bedroom and quickly shut the 

door. Yamato follows them at a slower pace and stops when he 

reaches the livingroom.

"Important things?Only one thing that important 

makes you 

move that fast two the bedroom," mutters Taichi. 

"Taichi, they're only ten!" exclaims Yamato. 

Koushirou joins in on the action. "You never know; kids are growing up so fast these days." 

I roll my eyes dramatically. This is how I spend my Fridays? Debating the love lives who have more romance than me, at age fourteen? It certainly puts things into perspective. Gah, all of my friends are males and still, I am alone in the world.Woe is me. 

"Come back to me Sora.Please, come back," murmurs Taichi softly into my ear. 

Snapping back to reality, it takes a few moments before my eyes are able to focus on the scene in front of me. Koushirou is sprawled out on the floor.Yamato is propped up onthe cream colored couch, his legs dangling comfortably over the side. By 

now, Taichi is easily reclining in the sofa's matching chair. 

"Well, gosh Taichi I really want to sit in that big chair." 

"Sorry. Seat's taken." 

"I wouldn't mind sitting on the sofa, butsomebody seems to need all of that room for his skinny, lanky body." 

Yamato's eyes twinkle in amusement. "But there's always room for one more."In one fluid motion, he leans over, grabs me by the torso and drags me onto he couch.I settle myselfbetween his legs and gently rest my head on his chest. 

I flit through the rest of the night.Attemptsto converseare kept at a bare minimum. I am enjoying my privatetime with Yamato while I weave through daydream after daydream. 

"Sora, how's Mimi?" Taichi suddenly questions. 

"She's fine. Mimi was telling me how easy American schooling is.Get this; she's the smartest person in her class." Koushirou snorts in disgust at this. 

"Anyway, her birthday is coming up and we should probablysend her something. You know, since we did happen to save the world with her and all." 

Koushirou responds, "Yeah, but we haven't seen her in such a long time. What if she's changed?"

It's my turn to expel air through my nostrils. "Mimi's interest will never change.She will always love boys and clothing." 

"If Miss Mimi is the same person," begins Taichi, 

"Then maybe we should mail a naked Yamato, wishingbirthdayhappiness, over to America." 

Yamato makes use of his long reach my grabbing a CD from the coffee table and hurling it at Taichi.Both boys are grinning. 

"Dumbass," says Yamato.Before he can continue insulting Taichi, a sensation washes over us. It feels as if tiny beety eyes are absorbing our every motion.Sure enough, two sets of youthful eyes are absorbing our actions and closely 

watching us. 

"Hi Takeru. How are you?" asks Yamato with an extremely cheerful falsetto. He may be a good singer, but Yamato should leave the singing to the professionals.

Takeru rolls his eyes dramatically."We're starving. We want something to eat." he announces.Both Taichi and 

Yamato smolder their perverted snickers with their hands. Koushirou sighs and begins scolding the laughing duet in a typical mature Koushirou fashion. Meanwhile, Hikari and I are exchanging a silent conversation.Something in her eyes is expressing disapproval. I throw her a questioning glance.She slides up near the couch and leans over as I bring my head closer to hers. 

"Why are you sitting like that", she questions. Uhh, good question.I like smelling Yamato's scent, feeling the warmth of his arms around my body, and being engulfed in security. 

"You learn when you're older," is my hackneyed reply.I peel myself away from my human pillow and exit, stage right, towards the bathroom. 

Plodding down the hallway, I notice the master bedroom's door is slightly ajar.Nudging it open with my sock-enclosed foot, a massive picture adorned in gold holds my gaze. It's a picture of Taichi's and Hikari's parents on theirhoneymoon.The two newlyweds are holding hands and walking on a beach while the brilliant sun sets in the background. Their sparkling, crescent smiles are of pure bliss.Gently sighing, I close the 

door and enter the bathroom.True happiness is embodied in the picture. Is true love true happiness?Can there be one without the other? When will I get true love? 

**** 

The empty livingroom greets me when I exit the bathroom.As I prepare to flop down, I notice the shining moon once again.In a trance, I step out onto the balcony to get a better view. 

"Ohh..." I gasp.The sight before me is beautiful.They gray clouds have temporarily moved aside and the moon stands in triumph.I stare at the moon for a few minutes and 

absorb its beauty.Then I notice something out of my eye's corner. 

Yamato is also on the balcony, looking downwards. His handsare grasped tightly around the railing and a scowl is on his face.

"Yamato?" I take a few steps towards him. Surprised, he looks up. 

"Sora." He hesitates and takes some steps towards me. 

"Are you okay? Am I interrupting you?" I ask. 

"Nah. I was just thinking about things," he slowly takes my hand. 

"We all need things. I'm wondering what you need." 

"To be loved," I say. 

Yamato laughs with appreciation.He moves closer to me. With his free hand, Yamato carefully strokes my face. Our eyes lock. Under normal circumstances, I would never be this close to any male. Being around Yamato never constitutes a normal 

situation.I have this natural urge to be close to him.Our movements seem acceptable.They are automatic. 

"And now Sora darling,"Yamato whispers."I have to know what you want." 

"You.I want to be with you always," I reply. 

Although he isn't particularly vocal, his body language 

speaks volumes.

Yamato's hand stops moving and the blue eyes grow large in 

surprise. Yamato drops his head down, breaking our connection. He starts shaking his head. 

He doesn't like me says a voice in my head. 

"Sora..." Yamato begins. 

Tearing my hand away from his, I stumble away from him. I don't need this hurt."Never mind Yamato.It's okay," I manage to say.Blinded by unshed tears, I stumble into the apartment and rush out of there as quickly as the hurt that swooped down on me.


	2. Hidden Observer

Koushirou's POV: Hidden Witness 

Koushirou's POV: Hidden Witness 

By: Canopy4 

Author's Note: Hey everybody! I see you've made it to Chapter II. Okay, I'm really glad the size of this story is not detouring you from reading it. I mean, the story goes rather quickly; don't you think? Anyway, this is Koushirou's chapter. It's my first time working with him and I try to bring out the sarcasm in him. It seems to me that Koushirou is way too smart for this world and its trivial affairs. He is the model genius who is so bored in class that he causes trouble to amuse himself. But tell me what you think! Thanks! I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP.

***

14 years of age and I already know my college thesis statement. The rough draft is known by, "Observation: Artful Zen or a Necessary way of life?" It came to me in a flash of brilliance today while I was reading Sora's unspoken thoughts. Her train of thought has mainly centered on a good friend of ours. He also happens to be Sora's love interest. Just the mention of him will send Sora slobbering into a state similar to Pavlov's dog. It's rather amusing; I try this experiment as often as I can. Sora, my test subject, rarely fails me. For those of us who feel inept when the subject of Psychology comes up, allow me to explain. Sora is reaction to a stimulus. Yamato is the stimulus. 

Poor Taichi has never been good at Psychology. What's obvious to others comes as a total shock to him. I feel sorry for Taichi because he doesn't realize his love is unanswered. His feelings for Sora bring out this innocent boy quality in him. When Sora leaves to invite Takeru over, Taichi heaves a sigh. 

"She's so amazing," he exhales. 

Hikari looks into the chocolate pools belonging to her brother. "Thanks Taichi," she says, twirling around the bedroom in a giddy state. 

"Not you goofball. I mean, Sora," Taichi pulls up a nest of carpet," Koushirou, do think she's mad at me?" 

No Taichi. Every girl wants to hear how masculine she is. It's a compliment when you tell a female that's she's full of testosterone. 

Instead of saying this, I respond in my best supporting friend voice. "You didn't mean it as an insult so don't worry about it. What's done is done. Besides, Sora's pretty good about these things." 

Hikari, being disoriented from twirling, drops into Taichi's lap. "That's the reason you like her, isn't it?" 

"One of them, yeah. I also like not having to protect her all the time. When she's really in danger, I know I can protect her," explains Taichi in a rather incoherent manner. "I think I'm gonna tell her how I feel tonight." 

The excitement in Taichi's voice is thick enough to cut and serve for dinner with plenty leftover. I catch Hikari's eyes and a reflection of my innermost thoughts dance in them. Taichi's in for a world of hurt tonight. He's rifling through his entire closet trying to find that perfect outfit and for what? Nothing. 

Fiercely, Hikari wraps her arms around her relative and holds her head against his chest. "I'll protect you big brother," she whispers. Taichi suppresses a laugh; the thought of tiny Hikari guarding athletic Taichi is an amusing image for him. To me though, it is no laughing matter. I wish I had a sibling to look after. Who will protect me? 

"C'mon, we better go see how Sora is doing; she may have gotten confused and called for pizza," I suppress any negative thoughts. Now is not the time to dwell on myself. My best friend is going to get crushed tonight and I need to be there for him. 

Taichi assumes a vertical position after Hikari clamors off of his lap. "I've noticed that too. Lately, it seems Sora's in her own little world. Do you know what's up?" 

"Don't worry about it," I turn the doorknob," It's probably just a girl thing. You know, a chemical imbalance." 

Yeah and the Euro dollar is just a minor failure. 

****

Simple courtesy seems to have gone out of style. At least, one can deem that from watching Sora's behavior. Right now, she's sitting on the cream colored sofa, resting on Yamato. Meanwhile, Taichi sits in the recliner, feeling rejected. Exhaling a sigh every now and then only enhances Taichi's participation. Yamato and I enter a fairly lively conversation. 

"I thought you already have a webpage," he sounds slightly confused yet extremely engrossed. 

"I have a personal website, yes," I correct, "but this site will be an in depth analysis on system failure prevention. It should be equally entertaining, exciting and educational." 

Yamato casually scratches an itch on his left shoulder. Sora tenses as she fears Yamato may get up and leave her. Fortunately, Yamato returns his arm around her as he began speaking again. Sora relaxes and leans against him. Taichi releases another poignant breath of air. 

" Ah, the three e's. You should call the site E^3," suggest Yamato. 

I make a check of the name mentally. "But there's one problem I have that is so trivial but entices so many. The color scheme. I'm under the impression that orange, black, and red work well together but my mother scolds me whenever I suggest this. Guess I'm wrong." 

"Sora's pretty decent with color schemes. Whaddabout it Sora?" offers Taichi. 

Yamato gasps. "Is that you Taichi? And here I though you are in a coma," jokes Yamato. 

So true are these works. Taichi is the relentless babbling brook. 

"I'm just thinking," mutters Taichi. He holds his gaze with Yamato. A steady conversation is help between the sets of eyes. 

"Mimi's always been good with colors. Her stuff always matches," says Taichi. 

A smile plays across Yamato's face. "You speaking from experience over there?" 

"Naw, I wouldn't move in on your territory," Taichi volleys back, "Hey Sora, how's Mimi?" 

"She's doing okay," says Sora. She prattles on and I award her with an occasional snort. Mimi being at the head of her class is sheer fantasy. 

Takeru and Hikari slink in and stand by the couch, absorbing everything. Their presence is suffocating. "We're hungry. We want something to eat," says Takeru calmly after the pair has been standing there for about five minutes. 

Yamato darts looks between Taichi and myself. It's Taichi who loses it first. It's as if a dam burst and his laughter goes spurting everywhere. Yamato loses control next and chuckles roll out of him. 

"Stop it. Do you guys ever think?" I say with mock seriousness. The same pubescent hormone driven thought simultaneously cross our minds and this realization, coupled with my attempt at being serious further intensifies the noise. 

Rolling over onto my back, I purse my lips together, shut my eyes and fold my arms behind my head. Sitting there with my face turned towards the ceiling and my sides aching from a concealed laugher is when I draw the conclusion that everything is going to be okay. No matter what happens tonight or in the future, Taichi, Yamato, and I will be friends. 

****

The beige ceiling greets me as I open my eyes. It's an attractive, nondescript color. Gotta love neutral colors. Feeling isolated, I roll over to face my friends and enter back into the real world. 

I let a mock gasp announce me. "Gosh Yamato. Something looks so different about you. You no longer have four legs, four arms and two heads. Oh wait, Sora's not attached to you anymore," I say. 

Taichi rolls along. "Somebody take this man's picture and give him a medal. He's survived the incredible and vivacious Takenouchi amoeba." 

"Parasite," I correct. 

"Takenouchi parasite," says Taichi. 

"Very cute," sneers Yamato. By now he's sitting up and Takeru has taken the seat next to him. "Almost as cute as the Mimi comment. Smartass." That last bit is tossed in Taichi's general direction. 

In a flash, Taichi is out of his chair. He begins this dance involving much flailing of the limbs and pelvic thrust around the coffee table and ends it directly in front of Yamato. 

"It's not smart. I like to think of it as pert. Pert, pert, pert," Taichi thrust the anatomy in question into the air for added emphasis. "Koushirou is the real smartass." 

I wave from my spot. "That's me. The authentic Smart Ass." 

Instead of joining in on the banter or declaring what type of ass he is, Yamato simply walks out of the room. He isn't impolite; Yamato just smoothly glides to the balcony. 

I turn to Takeru. "I guess your brother's going through one of those unpredictable mood swings, huh?" 

"Yeah," he says. 

Hikari speaks up, "So Taichi, about that food. I'm still hungry." 

"I'm on it," Taichi begins walking towards the kitchen," I'll call you when things are done. Let's go Koushirou." 

Once inside the privacy of the kitchen, Taichi begin to stir ingredients together with incredible vigor. 

"So..." I say, uncertainly. Taichi's emotions and actions have drastically changed. Clearly something is disturbing Taichi and it's not hard to guess what it is. Instead, I watch Taichi and attempt to pick up clues as to how to approach the subject. He puts down the bowl he's been mixing and grabs a stalk of celery. The knife begins producing small, green crescent moons as it comes in contact with the stalk. 

"Sora's on my mind. And how painful it all is," Taichi says after a while. He adds the chopped celery to the mixture and begins ladling the substance onto a hot pan. 

"How long have you known?" he asks quietly. 

"Known what?" I answer the question with a question and just as suddenly ask, "What are you making?" 

"An omelet, pancakes and rice." 

I stare at Taichi in utter disbelief. "For dinner?" 

Shrugging his bold shoulders, Taichi grabs a green container sitting next to the salt and sugar. He dunks a cup in it and it comes up full of hard rice pellets. "Sure. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why not have it twice?" 

I smile to myself. "And the rice?" 

"One can never go wrong with rice," he explains simply, adding water to the grains of rice and turning on the stove. 

Wiping his hands on the legs of his pants, he sits on the stool adjacent to mine. "Are you going to answer my question or not? 'Cause if you're trying to weasel out of it, I'm gonna beat it out of you." 

I doubt that Taichi will resort to physical violence, but I've known Taichi long enough to understand that when he wants something, he will get it. "Answer mine first. How long have I known what?" 

"That Sora and Yamato have liked each other," Taichi's voice begins to get louder. 

I rip my eyes away from the spot my eyes were fixated upon. "But they don't." 

"Bullshit." 

I try again. "No, they really don't like each other." 

"Dammit Koushirou, we're friends. You don't have to spare my feelings. Even though you think you're better than everybody else doesn't mean the rest of the world can't comprehend things too," Taichi is starting to show anguish and is being pushed to his limits of self-control. So am I. 

"Maybe if you listened to me instead running your goddamn mouth all the time, you would get the answer that you so desire. I'm willing to tell you but there are some things you don't do. Like try to boss me around all the time. We're not ten years old anymore," I snap. I don't normally show my emotions but when somebody tries to take a dig at me I let them teat a bit of my anger. I imagine it has a rather metallic, sharp taste to it.

Taichi looks a bit startled; he's not used to hearing me retort back. "My fault," he mumbles. 

I accept this as the closest thing to an apology that I'll get and decide to surge ahead. "Look Taichi, Sora and Yamato aren't madly in love with each other or anything like that. It's Sora who wants Yamato. But Yamato wants nothing to do with her." 

My friend just sits there, with his shoulders hunched over. He looks as if he's been punched in the stomach. It's rather distressing to see the school's star soccer striker so weak and frail. My anger, reserved for Taichi and his haughty comments only a few minutes ago, are now directly solely at Sora. I don't care who she likes but when she starts hurting people and ignoring the repercussion of her actions; well, somebody has to find fault in that. And me being the voice of reason decide that the blame rest on Sora's shoulders alone. 

But my immediate goal is to cheer up Taichi. I'm willing to do anything to see him out of this state; he looks so pathetic. Assuming that he's accepted defeat with Sora, I say, "But don't worry about it. I mean, Sora's not a real likable person. As a girlfriend I mean. She's a great friend, but it just seems dating her would be so uneventful. There are so many other girls out there. So many other hot girls." 

I receive a glance from Taichi. "Sometimes I actually think you are a machine Koushirou," he says, "but then I remember that since you're a genius, emotions are simply trivial to you." 

What the hell is that supposed to mean? I am rooted to my stool, trying to process this comment. Although the words Taichi just used carry a trace of a negative connotation, Taichi's voice flutters with sympathy. 

"Hey Koushirou," Taichi breaks the silence, "were you serious when you said that Sora likes Yamato but he doesn't like her?" 

I look at Taichi as if he is just asked if two plus two really equals four. "Yes, I am sure." 

To support my affirmative statement, the door to the balcony door sharply opens and is closed with an extreme force. Quick footsteps make the kitchen and Sora passes by. Tears are streaming down her face yet she utters no sounds. It is in vain though for the sounds of her heart breaking reverberate and fill every space. The front door opens and closes as she exits the apartment. A few minutes pass and our ears are still turned towards the door, hoping it will open again. It's so easy to miss the sounds of the balcony door opening and closing and the sounds of another person entering the apartment, but Yamato has unavoidable presence. He heads towards Taichi's room and closes the door. 

"I'll kill him. So simple," says Taichi. His voice is nothing but calm vengeance now. 

"I refuse to be a witness to a homicide Taichi. What you're going to do is head down to your sister's room, tell Hikari and Takeru that dinner is ready, serve them, and begin to eat your dinner yourself," I state briskly. Taichi is a person who follows through on his commitments and I am in no mood to place a phone call to the Ishida residence, asking somebody to please identify and claim the limp body lying in Taichi's room as their son. 

"You're next on the list," grumbles Taichi, sliding off the stool. 

"Taichi," I call out. He looks at me. 

"Stop it. Everything's going to be okay. I know you're thinking about her but some things need to be completed. We have all night to talk," My eyes hold steady with his. 

"Go," I command. He does so, grumbling. Logic always wins over matters of love. 

Tentatively, I walk into the living room, my mind a daze. Taichi just went through a myriad of moods. I've never seen anybody react so intensely to matters relating to the heart. That means that either I've never experienced love or that Taichi is just a budding Casanova. Not a decision I would like to make. Slowly though, I being to comprehend Taichi's reactions. Taichi isn't mad at Sora for breaking his heart; he's mad at Yamato for ruining Sora's. This makes me wonder which value is more important to Taichi: love or friendship. Up until today, I've always figured Taichi would never even have to make that decision. Sure, he's had this crush on Sora for a while now, but I just assumed it would fizzle, not grow with age. I sure struck out on that one. 

Then it hits me why Taichi assured me of my status on the list. While he just learned the fact that he and Sora will never be, the rest of us have had years to become comfortable with this. I ignored the stages of acceptance and plunged right into healing without even considering denial, remorse, assigning blame. Dammit. I feel like shit right now. Even though I psyche myself up for big appearances like this in the world of friendship, I still fall flat. I suppose they're one relationship out there I can still salvage. Picking up the phone, I dial Sora' number 

Instead of making conversation with a person, the voice on the answering machine talks to me. I hang up and try again. The machine is turned on again. I leave a brief message. Twenty minutes pass. I call again the answering machine greets me once again. Frustrated, I hang up and dial once more. After the beep comes on, I record my message. 

"Hi Sora. It's me Koushirou. Just want to tell you that Yamato is hear confessing his true love for you and that he will plunge five stories unless you come ---" 

"Not funny at all. Dammit. What the hell is that all about?" snaps a voice. 

"It's nice talking to you too, Sora," I respond. "I'm just calling to make sure you're not deaf. Because I've been calling-- " 

"And I've been screening my calls," comes the response. 

"Why?" 

"Because I really screwed up. He doesn't like me." 

"How did you screw up?" 

I can hear the exasperation in every word Sora utters. "Don't you get it? I told Yamato that I really wanted to be with him. I embarrassed myself." 

"Not so," I say, "You simply told what was on your heart. For the first time in your life Sora, I think you actually did the most beautiful and appropriate thing." 

There's a pause on Sora's end as she listens the truth behind my words. "Yeah, but I feel just so stupid. When I see him again, what am I going to say to him?" 

"How about, 'Hi Yamato. What's going on?'" I try to control my sarcasm but I can't help it. Stupid questions deserve stupid answers. 

"Cute," she says. Some time passes. 

"So now what are you going to do?" I venture to ask. 

"The way I see it, I have two options: cry, enter a terrible cycle of self pity and eat a pint of frozen yogurt or cry, enter a terrible cycle of depression and eat a pint of chocolate ice cream." 

I can't help but smile, "So you really have no clue what's in your future?" 

"Do you Nostradamus?" Sometimes, Sora's snide comments rival mine. 

I say, "You have some unfinished business. Start by talking to Taichi." 

"No. Please don't tell me he likes me." 

"In a very bad way." 

"Bullshit. Oh, Koushirou, you have to be lying!" 

I actually tear the phone from my ear and stare at it in disbelief. Am I the only person who every pays attention to others? "Everybody seems to be questioning me today," I say to Sora. 

"I don't care about other people! I can't believe nobody told me this. And you've known this for a long time, haven't you? How long have you known?" Sora is practically shouting hysteria into the phone. 

My, doesn't this conversation sound familiar? I lean back into the plush couch and feel my back muscles begin to relax. 

"Does it really matter?" I ask. 

"No," admits Sora, "Why is my life so complicated? What am I going to do?" 

"Sora, this might sound strange, but I actually have an answer to your rhetorical questions." 

"Go ahead. I'm game to hear your suggestion," says Sora. 

"You can always elope with me," I suggest, "We can run away from the pressures of life, leave Yamato and Taichi behind wondering what happened, and start our life's anew on a small island in the West Indies." 

A small giggle escapes from Sora, "That's an option I'll always consider. Listen Koushirou, I'm gonna try to get some sleep. We have class tomorrow morning and I haven't even started my homework. I don't even know where my books are." Sora says, "Thanks for listening to me." 

"Any time," I say. I set the phone back onto its receiver. A wave of drowsiness washes over me and I simply want to fall into sleep. Before I do, I grab a pad of paper, jot down a note, tear off the top page and leave it on a math book resting on the floor by the door. Then I leap into Sandman's grasp.


	3. Just an Update...

So I had some problems uploading the chapters

So I had some problems uploading the chapters. Sorry…I will try to chapter 3 up by the end of this week!!


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